Hi guys!
My kitties are cute as a button, but one of them has become really sick, bloody poop, vomit, etc. We are currently seeing the vet in regards to this and have been switched to prescription Fibre Food. And they think he has IBD.

Since we have 2 kitties, my boyfriend is a student, and I am the one keeping us afloat, can anyone reccomend any affordable foods to give my cats? Or any tips on how to settle his stomach?

They have been on lots of different foods in their life. Mostly dry kibbles.

1 -2 Months : When we got the cats they were being fed walmart own brand wet food, and dollarama dry food. We threw this out, and put them onto IAMS Kitten kibble.
2 -6 Months: IAMS kitten kibble.
6 - 8 Months: After reading about the badness of kibble, I switched to a home made food, that included chicken hearts, chicken breast, eggs, peas and rice. I made a batch and froze it. Given I was working full time, I ended up stopping this fairly soon as I kept forgetting to defrost the food the night before.
8 -12 months: A bix box with a mix of Whiskas tasty morsels, Whatever the blue label cat food brand is in Metro, and Compliments cat food. I mixed them all together, as they seems to get frequently bored of the same food.
12 - 16 months: Costo dry kibble - they didnt seem to like this as much as their mix up, but they started to enjoy it after a few months.

at about 16 months, Bandit started to throw up when he was alone, or getting really excited. One day both of them threw up, and I just threw out all the food we had in the house.

I bought IAM Anti-Hairball and they have had it for roughly 1 month.

Since my male cat, Bandit, is being sick, pooping blood. I have decided its time to get of the grainy crap they pass off as cat food and buy something better for him.

I went to the pet store and bought 4 different kinds of wet food:
Royal Canin Digest Sensitive - He LOVED this food.
Science Diet Limited Ingredients - Both flavors - He was not keen on this one --ops i mean natures balance!
Nutrience - Duck & Rabbit - turned his nose up wouldnt eat.
Nutrience - Local Ingredients Duck and Sweet potato - not tried.

I realise giving him lots of different foods in such a short time spam, especially over the last week with all the different canned foods is not good for him, but I am at my wits end trying to get him to eat.

The 2 days after he ate the Royal Canin he was not sick, or pooping blood. I wonder if this is co-incidence or an improvement?

I know nothing about wet food and what is good for a cat, so does anyone know any affordable cat foods that might work for him?

He's a beauty! try Fellidae "grain free" canned cat food. It's right now the cheapest grain free on the market. U can buy it at global. Get off the kibble and give it some time. There are lots of experienced cat people here to give you advice. I just know lots of the prices......

Of course I want to spend money on keeping him healthy, but $2 a can for a tiny can, when he needs like 3 -4 a day and then extra since the other cat munches it too, is going to put his food bill higher then my own lol.

Of course I want to spend money on keeping him healthy, but $2 a can for a tiny can, when he needs like 3 -4 a day and then extra since the other cat munches it too, is going to put his food bill higher then my own lol.

I've just read your thread about your sick kitty. I HIGHLY recommend not feeding your cat a fibre diet, as it is filled with carbs that may just irritate the colon further. I posted a link in your other thread that talks about fibre diets for cats. A cat's natural fibre is bone, not grain.

Oh, I forgot to mention to try sprinkling a bit of Slippery Elm Bark to help soothe the colon. It should be used in conjunction with wet food and even better to add a couple of teaspoons of water to the food.

I've just read your thread about your sick kitty. I HIGHLY recommend not feeding your cat a fibre diet, as it is filled with carbs that may just irritate the colon further. I posted a link in your other thread that talks about fibre diets for cats. A cat's natural fibre is bone, not grain.

Oh, I forgot to mention to try sprinkling a bit of Slippery Elm Bark to help soothe the colon. It should be used in conjunction with wet food and even better to add a couple of teaspoons of water to the food.

Thank you!! My vet was the one who actually gave me the Fibre food!! Its a wet food, I can check the brand when I get home, its an Orange label if that helps.

Thank you!! My vet was the one who actually gave me the Fibre food!! Its a wet food, I can check the brand when I get home, its an Orange label if that helps.

Check the ingredients and ask yourself, is this what a carnivore should eat? Are the meat (if any) listed as "by products", which could mean feathers and not real meat?

I believe for a cheaper, or at least the same price, you can buy a much better quality food for your kitties at Global (that's where I get all of mine and I feed 50% homemade raw).

Nature's Variety has a couple of novelty flavours that do not contain any beef or chicken you may want to give them a try on your kitty, just in case it's a protein allergy that is affecting him. AND as an added bonus, they don't have any grains or potatoes in it. I have confirmed with the manufacturer that their ingredients are human grade, so you can have peace of mind they are getting a good quality food.

Thank you for the advice, I will check it as soon as I get home from work. My Boyfriend is telling me he ate about 3/4 of his food today! yaaay! I still need to find a perminant solution in the long run. I think since I am lucky enough to be next to a global store, I should check it out.

Of course I want to spend money on keeping him healthy, but $2 a can for a tiny can, when he needs like 3 -4 a day and then extra since the other cat munches it too, is going to put his food bill higher then my own lol.

Most of the foods listed above also come in 13oz cans (soup can sized) once you find one they both like, if the Global doesn't stock the larger sized can ask if they will special order it in for you. It may mean buying a case of the large cans at a time but many stores sell the case cheaper than buying the same amount of individual cans.

Once a 13oz can is opened what ever is not finished that meal can be refrigerated for the next one.

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Vets are brainwashed by the manufacturing companies. In Canada, they get very little nutritional training.

Any vet with some common sense would not feed a cat kibble. Cats on kibble diets are chronically dehydrated. Imagine feeding your children crackers and having them get all their fluids by licking up water with their tongue.

Also, why in the world would any carnivore be fed corn? potatoes? wheat? meat byproducts? Have vets really taken a look at the ingredients of the food they sell and ask themselves if this is healthy for a carnivore to be eating? I doubt it .

Vets are brainwashed by the manufacturing companies. In Canada, they get very little nutritional training.

Any vet with some common sense would not feed a cat kibble. Cats on kibble diets are chronically dehydrated. Imagine feeding your children crackers and having them get all their fluids by licking up water with their tongue.

Also, why in the world would any carnivore be fed corn? potatoes? wheat? meat byproducts? Have vets really taken a look at the ingredients of the food they sell and ask themselves if this is healthy for a carnivore to be eating? I doubt it .

Ok so I was running out of food, and I thought I would call the vet just to inquire to what the next step would be in their opinion....

High Fibre Dry Kibble....

I think I am going to ignore the vets suggestion, and go to Global and try some Grain Free Wet first, see if that helps, if not I'll go back to the vet. Now he is eating, and settled, I think it is time to look for a long term plan for him, and after everything you have told me, I don't think High Fibre Dry Kibble is the answer!!

I went to global, I got the Felidae Grain Free Chicken, Lamb, ..I cannot remember but it has peas in it. I worry because he didn't go for it right away like he usually does, but hopefully he will its $3 a can. Urg, and it was the cheapest!!

I saw a thing that was cat only tuna, do you think this would be ok to feed them? not like all the time but as an odd treat?

I went to global, I got the Felidae Grain Free Chicken, Lamb, ..I cannot remember but it has peas in it. I worry because he didn't go for it right away like he usually does, but hopefully he will its $3 a can. Urg, and it was the cheapest!!

I saw a thing that was cat only tuna, do you think this would be ok to feed them? not like all the time but as an odd treat?

It will say on the can if it is nutritionally complete. If it's Almo, it's not

http://www.traciehotchner.com/index.htm Tracy Hotchner has a radio show called Cat Chat on Sirius Radio every Thursday. She is very interesting to listen to providing all sorts of tips and info as well as taking calls from listeners. She refers to kibble as "kitty crack" as she says cats get hooked on the high-carb, high-processed food. She strongly advocates that all cats should eat canned food.

Thanks! I am just thinking long term of the best option, since right now, the cat food bill is going to equal my grocery bill. Seriously considering raw, but using one of the supplemental powders I saw online that you just add to raw meat. They only seem to come in big packs which puts me off, as I dont want to buy loads, then it doesnt work out for him

With the exception of Rose (my semi feral), none of my cats prefer raw over canned, so I mix it 50/50 and they seem to accept that (or they go hungry). Even my kibble addict, I hate fresh meat, Puddles, now eats raw/canned.

They have had raw before, and they love it, but it was not nutritionally balanced enough to feed them full time, I made it myself with no online guidance. It was ground chicken breasts, water, eggs, peas, now I know they need full nutrition so I will use a supplement, and just use raw meat.

They have had raw before, and they love it, but it was not nutritionally balanced enough to feed them full time, I made it myself with no online guidance. It was ground chicken breasts, water, eggs, peas, now I know they need full nutrition so I will use a supplement, and just use raw meat.

Don't forget to use enough bone for calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and other minerals. There are many prepared raw diets available at good quality pet food stores that are premixed, balanced, and easy to use.